As of December 2025, Les Investissement Nolinor Inc., working as Nolinor Aviation, reigns because the world’s largest Boeing 737-200 operator.
The service, a Canadian constitution airline primarily based in Mirabel, Quebec, simply exterior Montréal, operates eight of roughly 40 nonetheless in service worldwide.
Between 1965 and 1988, 1,114 Boeing 737-200s have been manufactured.
Based in 1992 and commencing operations in 1997, Nolinor employs 200 individuals below President Marco Prud’Homme. Its important base is Montréal-Mirabel Worldwide Airport (YMX). Specializing in passenger constitution and cargo flights throughout North America and Europe, Nolinor’s 737-200s, outfitted with gravel kits, are uniquely suited to northern Canada’s unpaved runways, cementing their dominance in a fading fleet.
This iconic jetliner makes Nolinor indispensable for distant communities and industries the place no different jet can service.
The Boeing 737-200 Fleet is Nolinor’s Spine
Nolinor’s eight Boeing 737-200s are the cornerstone of its standing as the most important operator of this historic jet. Six are 737-200Cs, that are passenger/cargo plane (combis), configurable for as much as 119 passengers. Two (regs. C-GNRD and C-GNLE) are solely devoted to cargo operations. The kind is able to carrying a payload of as much as 30,000 lbs. Nolinor additionally operates two 737-200s devoted to passenger service, together with C-FTWW, which the service acquired in summer time 2025.
Ranging in age from practically 41 to 52 years previous, these jets are outfitted with gravel kits, enabling operations on non-paved runways—akin to filth, gravel, or ice—in distant northern Canada.
The 737-200 holds a singular place as the one jet licensed by Boeing to land on gravel runways, a important functionality for operations in [northern Canada] the place infrastructure is restricted.
Nolinor Aviation President Marco Prud’Homme
This functionality is important, as President Marco Prud’Homme said in a 2024 interview.
“The 737-200 holds a singular place as the one jet licensed by Boeing to land on gravel runways, a important functionality for operations in [northern Canada] the place infrastructure is restricted,” Prud’Homme mentioned. “The Northern areas lack highway networks, and the permafrost makes establishing conventional paved roads impractical. Due to this fact, probably the most environment friendly and most secure option to entry mining initiatives is by air, utilizing gravel runways.”
With bases at Mirabel (YMX), Montréal Metropolitan Airport in St. Hubert (YHU), Edmonton Worldwide Airport (YEG) in Alberta, Yellowknife Airport (YZF) within the Northwest Territories, and Winnipeg Richardson Worldwide Airport (YWG) in Manitoba, Nolinor leverages its 737-200s to attach Canada’s north, the place infrastructure is scarce.
C-GNLK: The Oldest Jetliner in Industrial Service
The crown jewel of Nolinor’s fleet is C-GNLK. Not solely is it the oldest Boeing 737 in service at this time, however it is usually the oldest jetliner in business operation anyplace on the planet. Because the 356th 737-200 off Boeing’s Renton, Washington meeting line, this 51-year-old plane entered into service with Dutch service Transavia in Could 1974.
Altering fingers 23 instances, it briefly operated in the USA for Air Florida (June to December 1983) and Anchorage-based MarkAir (January to Could 1984) however spent most of its life in Europe earlier than becoming a member of Nolinor. Its endurance demonstrates the 737-200’s sturdy design and Nolinor’s upkeep experience, which has been approved in-house since June 1999.
Out of 1,114 Boeing 737-200s Ever Constructed, Roughly 40 Nonetheless Fly Right this moment
Nolinor’s eight 737-200s signify roughly 20% of the roughly 40 nonetheless lively worldwide, a outstanding share for a single operator. The 737-200, which entered service with United Airways in 1968 and noticed its closing business passenger flight with Aloha Airways on 31 March 2008, ended manufacturing with the 1,114th supply to Xiamen Airways in August 1988. Different operators embody:
SOURCE: planespotters.web
Nolinor’s eight Boeing 737-200s outnumber all different operators, a lot of whom fly only one or two.
It’s difficult to find out an correct variety of airworthy 737-200s, as some are positioned in battle zones or distant areas of the world.
Nolinor Aviation’s Operational Context and Challenges
Whereas the 737-200s are Nolinor’s spine, its ten-aircraft fleet consists of one 737-300QC (a Fast Change-capable plane that may be transformed between cargo and passenger use, with a capability of as much as 130 passengers) and two 737-400s (able to carrying as much as 158 passengers). The 737-400s have been operated for OWG (Off We Go) Airways, a Nolinor division specializing in constitution flights to leisure locations within the Caribbean. Launched through the pandemic, the enterprise struggled to achieve traction and ceased operations in Could 2025. At one time, Nolinor additionally operated a 189-seat 737-800 on behalf of OWG. Following the closure of OWG, Nolinor shed the -800, which now flies for Canadian constitution service Chrono Aviation.
Nevertheless, solely the 737-200s can deal with gravel runways, making them irreplaceable for northern operations.
Sustaining growing old plane presents challenges, as seen within the November 2024 incident involving one in every of Nolinor’s 737-400s, C-GGWX. Throughout a flight from Québec Metropolis Jean Lesage Worldwide Airport (YQB) to Wabush Airport (YWK) in Newfoundland and Labrador, the pilots found the left important touchdown gear was not extending whereas on method to an intermediate cease at Saguenay-Bagotville Airport (YBG) in Québec.
Opting to divert to YMX, the plane landed safely however sustained substantial injury. All 87 passengers and crew evacuated unhurt.
The 737-200’s Distinctive Position: Lifeline to the North
The Boeing 737-200‘s distinctive function in Nolinor’s operations stems from its unmatched capacity to function on gravel runways, a characteristic no different jet in business service can replicate. Northern Canada’s distant areas, characterised by huge distances, permafrost, and minimal infrastructure, rely closely on air transport.
The 737-200’s gravel kits (particular modifications together with strengthened touchdown gear, protecting shields, and anti-skid techniques) allow it to land on unpaved surfaces like filth, gravel, or ice, frequent in mining camps, Indigenous communities, and exploration websites. These runways, typically carved from the rugged terrain, are the one viable entry factors the place roads are nonexistent or impractical as a result of destabilization of conventional pavement by permafrost.
For Nolinor, the 737-200s usually are not simply plane however lifelines, delivering important provides, tools, and personnel to locations inaccessible by different means. The jets’ combi configuration permits them to hold as much as 119 passengers or 30,000 lbs of cargo in a variety of makes use of, from transporting employees to a mining challenge or delivering meals and medical provides to distant villages.
This flexibility is important in a area the place seasonal climate extremes, from Arctic blizzards to muddy thaws, additional complicate logistics. The 737-200’s capacity to function in these circumstances, mixed with its jet pace, presents a big benefit over slower turboprop plane, lowering transit instances and growing effectivity for time-sensitive cargo like perishable items or pressing equipment components.
In contrast to newer jets requiring lengthy, paved runways, the 737-200 can entry brief, rudimentary airstrips carved into the wilderness, typically lower than 5,000 ft lengthy. This functionality has saved the jets in demand for mining corporations, authorities contracts, and group help, the place they function the first hyperlink to the surface world. For instance, Nolinor’s bases in Yellowknife (YZF) and Edmonton (YEG) place its 737-200s to serve the Northwest Territories and Alberta’s resource-rich areas, the place gravel runways are normal.
The 737-200’s rugged versatility additionally appeals to aviation fanatics and historians, who marvel at its capacity to thrive in environments that will floor trendy jets. But, this distinctive function comes with duty. Nolinor’s in-house upkeep ensures these growing old jets stay airworthy, a job made extra important by their specialised operations.
Nolinor Appears to be like Ahead Whereas Holding On to What Makes It Tick
Nolinor plans to introduce the eco-friendly, blended-wing Natilus Kona cargo plane by the tip of the last decade, signaling a modernization push. Till then, its 737-200s stay indispensable, connecting Canada’s north with unmatched functionality. In reality, the service plans so as to add yet one more to the fleet in 2026 to fulfill demand.
As the most important operator of this iconic jet, Nolinor Aviation preserves a chunk of aviation heritage whereas serving a few of the world’s most difficult routes, charming those that lengthy for the golden age of aviation.
They may be loud, and so they’re undoubtedly smoky. However the Boeing 737-200 is one lovely engineering masterpiece. And it’s good to know they aren’t going anyplace anytime quickly–a minimum of at Nolinor Aviation.
